Zanu PF has denied allegations that its members walked out of a Constitution Select Committee (Copac) meeting on Wednesday in protest over the rejection of their 29-page document by the two MDC parties.
Women Affairs minister Olivia Muchena — whom rival parties say is slowly replacing Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana as co-chairperson — is alleged to have led Zanu PF members involved in the constitution-making process in the walk out.
However, in an interview with NewsDay yesterday, Zanu PF co-chairperson Mangwana denied the allegations saying his party had walked out, not in protest, but because the meeting had been adjourned following a stalemate.
“The meeting adjourned after a disagreement on how to proceed on the minutes of our workshop. We never walked out, the meeting had ended,” Mangwana said. Mangwana also dismissed allegations that Muchena was subtly taking over from him in Copac.
“That is nonsense because Muchena is a member of the select committee and I am the co-chairperson,” he said. Mangwana said their major difference was the input of political parties in the draft constitution.
“The main disagreements we are seized with at the moment arose from the input of political parties. Without the leadership of the negotiators, it means we will remain stuck and the process will not move forward. We are waiting for communication from them,” Mangwana said.
Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said he was not aware that the party’s point man in Copac had walked out of Wednesday’s meeting.
“No, I am not even aware that they walked out. I have not been advised,” Gumbo said.
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MDC-T co-chairperson Douglas Mwonzora and his MDC counterpart, Edward Mkhosi released a joint press statement immediately after the ill fated meeting on Wednesday, accusing Zanu PF of wanting to impose their party position instead of the views of the people which were gathered during Copac’s outreach process.
